1. Hangzhou

Many sources agree that China's top-rated tea is West Lake Dragon Well Tea (Xi Hu Longjing, 西湖龙井), grown on the hills around West Lake, southwest of Hangzhou City. With its history as an imperial capital
and also as a place of vacation for Beijing's emperors, China's best tea has been enjoyed in style in Hangzhou for well over
1,000 years.

2. Suzhou

Enjoy tea in a picturesque Suzhou water town.

Location: Jiangsu Province, East China

Famous
tea: Green Spiral

Tea type: green tea

A popular choice for China's second favorite imperial tea is Suzhou's Green Spiral Tea (Dongting
Bi Luo Chun, 洞庭碧螺春). Like Hangzhou, Suzhou was an imperial retreat for Beijing's elite. Suzhou's ornate gardens were doubtless
the setting for many a classy "cuppa" over the centuries.

You too can drink the tea of emperors and enjoy the gardens that
emperors enjoyed on a Suzhou
tour.

3. Huangshan

Huangshan is one of the famous
tea culture cities in China. The mythical Yellow Emperor, who, it is said, once
lived in Huangshan and who gave his name to the enchantingly-scenic Yellow Mountains, was traditionally a friend of Emperor
Shennong (the 'Divine Farmer'). Shennong is said to have discovered tea when some
tea leaves fell into a pot of water his servant was boiling for drinking.

One of China's top five
teas is Huangshan Furry Tip (Huangshan Maofeng, 黄山毛峰), so named for its furry leaves. Another top ten tea is Keemun
Black (Qimen Hongcha, 祁门红茶), a black tea also grown in Huangshan Prefecture.
The best chrysanthemum tea is also from Huangshan, and is called Yellow Mountain
Tribute Chrysanthemum (Huangshan Gongju, 黄山贡菊).

4. Chengdu

Tea ceremony at People's Park in Chengdu

Location: Sichuan Province, Central China

Famous
tea: Ya'an pressed dark tea

Tea type: reprocessed tea

Chengdu is also a popular place for drinking tea. The particularly relaxed atmosphere
of this city is demonstrated by residents who spend large periods of time in the
tea gardens of parks, sipping tea while playing chess, mahjong or cards, reading
the paper, or just chatting with friends.

Ya'an, on the Sichuan end of the Ancient Tea Horse Road, is only 120 kilometers southwest of Chengdu. It has a history of tea production dating back 2,000
years. From Ya'an, bricks of dark tea were carried by horseback to Tibet and further
afield. Take a tour
of Chengdu and
enjoy its tea culture.

5. Xishuangbanna

Yunnan Pu'er tea

Location: south Yunnan Province, South China

Famous
tea: Pu’er tea (Yunnan Pu'er, 云南普洱)

Tea type: post-fermented/dark tea/pressed tea

Xishuangbanna is one of the Yunnan endpoints of the Ancient Tea Horse
Road and is still a major tea-growing area. From there, pressed tea was carried by horseback
to Tibet, India, and Nepal. The tropical forested hills of Xishuangbanna are where
the Dai people produce some of the best Pu’er tea, which is pressed into a variety
of wheels, bricks, etc.

Pu’er, the next major stop after Xishuangbanna, was where tea was traded and it gave its name to this famous type of dark pressed
tea, although most prefectures in Yunnan, including Xishuangbanna, produce Pu’er
tea. Pu’er tea should be tried as it is different to the generally delicate
flavors of Chinese tea. It has a rustic woody taste, and is soothing and reminiscent
of a minority culture.

6. Wuhan

Location: Hubei Province, Central China

Famous
tea: Silver Needle (nearby in Hunan Province)

Tea type: yellow tea

Wuhan is a city with an ancient history. It occupies a uniquely central position for transport
with the Yangtzeflowing west–east and land transport bridging the Yangtze
River from north–south. See our Wuhan tours, some of which include a Yangtze cruise.

Wuhan is famous more as a place for drinking
tea, with its many tea houses, than for
growing tea, although there is a famous tea-growing area 200 kilometers (130 miles)
southwest in Junshan, Hunan Province. Junshan Silver Needle (Junshan Yin Zhen 君山银针) has been ranked among China's top ten teas in some versions
of the imperial list. Yellow was the imperial color and Silver Needle is a yellow
tea.

7. Quanzhou

Enjoy the experience of drinking Chinese tea.

Location: Fujian Province, Southeast China

Famous
teas: Iron Goddess, Fujian jasmine tea

Tea types: oolong tea, flower tea

Iron Goddess tea (Anxi Tie Guanyin 安溪铁观音) probably holds the bronze medal position among China's teas.
It is an oolong (Wulong) tea with a fresh and mellow taste — a favorite for summer drinking.

Anxi, where Iron Goddess is grown, is about 40 kilometers (25 miles)
northwest of Quanzhou City, in Quanzhou Prefecture. Quanzhou is a large city (more than 6 million
inhabitants) on the Fujian coast. Nearby Xiamen is the most famous tourist city in Fujian.

Jasmine tea, Beijing's favorite, uses jasmine flowers mixed with
green tea. The best jasmine tea is produced
in Fujian Province. Customize a visit to Quanzhou, known as the "World Religion Museum"
and the start of the Maritime Silk Road, to see Anxi and sample China’s favorite
summer tea in its natural setting.

Other Tea Cities

Chaoshan

Milk tea

Located in the east of Guangdong Province, Chaoshan (or Teochew)
is a special linguistic and cultural region. It consists of the cities Jieyang, Chaozhou, and Shantou and
it used be the ancestral homeland of many Thais, Singaporeans, and Malaysians of
Chinese descent.

Kung fu tea, the renowned tea ceremony, originated in the Chaoshan area.
Drinking tea is an essential part of Teochew people’s daily lives and they serve
it as an important etiquette.

Hong Kong and Guangdong

Guilin

Guilin has its own tea plantation and tea institute near Yao Mountain.
Guilin's minorities, particularly the Yao, enjoy oil tea.

Discover China’s Tea Culture with China Highlights

Experience tea culture for yourself.

One of the attractions of going to tea-growing areas is being able to get out in the scenic mountainous
areas where the tea is grown, and to see for yourself how the tea is produced. You
will then most likely have the chance to drink the local tea, with a guide explaining
the tea ceremony, how best to brew and drink the tea, and then a chance to buy
some. Don't forget to bargain.

China Highlights can help you get to these less-accessible
tea-growing areas with comfortable private transport, and we can provide a
knowledgeable guide to help you with language issues and understanding of tea
culture.